Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence by Gavin de Becker

5 reviews

sidneypearson's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Murder, Mental illness, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Rape, Child abuse, Violence, and Sexual harassment

sassmistress's review against another edition

informative tense fast-paced

4.5

Very informative and engaging. With all the heavy content, I'm not sure if it will exacerbate anxiety, but the author was intentional about trying to alleviate it. I did like the section on worry showing how to get to the root of the concern, rather than reacting to the surface fear. 

There are a few things I would take with a grain of salt, such as the interview questions (and reliance on "intuition") that are likely to result in ablist hiring decisions. The heavy focus on intuition, with all the examples given, likely creates some survivorship bias ("I had a bad feeling about x, and then something happened" may leave out all the times nothing happened). 

There is a good section on spotting risk factors for DV, and for that reason I may recommend it for teenagers. 

I didn't enjoy the chapter on assassination, as it has more of a "true crime" bent and was less applicable, but many people enjoy that sort of content. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Violence, Domestic abuse, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Death, Confinement, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, and Suicide

Minor: Animal death, Addiction, Animal cruelty, and Cannibalism

reefofchaos's review against another edition

slow-paced

0.5

This book is incredibly outdated, lacks any nuance or understanding of intersectionality, and it is, quite simply, and ode to the author's presumed understanding of the young middle class cis white woman victim. Do not read this in the 21st century.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Murder, Child abuse, Violence, Stalking, and Gun violence

mondovertigo's review against another edition

informative inspiring fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Violence, and Misogyny

Moderate: Animal death, Alcoholism, and Drug abuse

herbivorehaunts's review against another edition

dark informative medium-paced

3.5

A little dated (the audiobook quality itself as well as some of the content) but informative. It got a bit repetitive at times as it is one of those non-fiction books whose format is starting each point with an example, and then going through that example at length while describing the psychological point being made. As well I'd like to point out that this is a very dark book at times. This is a very helpful book and the examples and topics discussed are necessary for the book, but it talks at length about victims of domestic violence, rape, murder, and lots of other very heavy topics so be aware going into this one. 

I don't think the book is victim-blamey per se, but I will say that the author states both his data and stories from survivors in a concise, matter of fact way and doesn't warn or soften the blow for the reader. I don't think it is the intent of the author to victim-blame, but he can come off as a bit insensitive at times; this is a book presenting physiological scientific principles and is written throughout in a very textbook-like manner. If you have any sort of triggers having to do with domestic violence, rape, or other abuse I think it might be best to find a summary of the principles online instead of having to read account after account of very triggering subject matter. 

It's a very validating book, and an important topic. Women's intuition is often mocked, and we are taught to be polite even to random strangers over coming across as rude. Women are socialized to ignore their intuition and fear signals and this often puts us in danger. F*ck politeness. Listen to the survival signals that your body sends to you.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Child death, Death of parent, and Gun violence

Moderate: Sexual violence, Violence, Addiction, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse